Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Local Activist Speaks This Week on Global Climate Talks

Tonight is the first of three free presentations by activist and filmmaker Mark Dixon about the upcoming COP21 climate negotiations in Paris.

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Mark Dixon

The talks, in December, are widely seen as pivotal for addressing climate change and its effects. Dixon plans to attend the talks to raise awareness, connect Pittsburgh to the proceedings, and generate public support for reforms needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change. In advance, he’s giving a series of presentations to explain the complicated negotiation landscape.

Dixon is known for environmentally themed documentaries like YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip and the recent The Power of One Voice, about Rachel Carson. He also represented Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto at an official United Nations COP21 precursor event, the World Summit Climate &Territories in Lyon, France.

This week's presentations, all free, are intended to inform citizens who are concerned about climate but don't care to set aside a few days to research the negotiations themselves. Despite the disappointing outcomes of previous COPs, Dixon says there is reason to be hopeful about this one, not least the growing urgency of climate change as expressed by extreme weather and rising seas.

Tonight’s talk, “Connecting Pittsburgh to International Climate Negotiations,” is at 6 p.m. at the Thomas Merton Center, 5129 Penn Ave., in Garfield. It’s a potluck, and seating is limited; for more information, call 412-361-3022.

On Thursday, Dixon speaks at the Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes Ave., in Squirrel Hill. The talk is at 7 p.m.; seating is ample, and the presentation is followed by a community reception.

Saturday’s talk, at 4 p.m., is at the monthly Sustainability Salon at a private residence in Squirrel Hill. Seating is limited; details and required RSVP here.

While this week’s talks are free, Dixon is running a crowdfunding campaign to finance his trip to COP21. More info here.